Special events/announcements
Athletics holds 4th Annual Thank-A-Thon
Over 100 Binghamton student-athletes, representing all 21 teams on campus, took time out of their schedules to take part in the Athletic Department’s Fourth Annual Thank-A-Thon this past week. The student-athletes volunteered their time to make calls and write personal notes to donors of the Binghamton University Athletic Department.
The purpose of the Thank-A-Thon is for the student-athletes to reach out to the Athletic Department’s donors to let them know how much their support is appreciated.
“Our donors have been extremely generous in providing resources to help our programs compete at the highest level of Division I Athletics,” said Binghamton Athletic Director Patrick Elliott. “Our student-athletes are the true beneficiaries of their support and it is only fitting that we connect the donor and recipients.”
On Tuesday night at the Events Center, 898 personal phone calls were made by student-athletes to donors. The following evening, the student-athletes wrote over 803 personal letters.”
Hartrick honored by national association for 25 years at Binghamton
Note: The following story was published on the College Sports Information Director’s of America (COSIDA) website on April 27, 2017.
Being a sports information director for a quarter of a century at a single institution is an accomplishment in itself. For John Hartrick, however, his career at Binghamton University has been notable for so much more than just the length of his tenure.
Hartrick arrived at Binghamton in 1991, when the athletic department was still competing at the NCAA Division III level. He was the first full-time SID hired by the university. He had to establish an office from scratch.
In the ensuing 25 years, Hartrick has continued as the SID as Binghamton transitioned to the NCAA Division II level in 1998 and to its current Division I status, which began in 2001. Few SIDs have worked at all three NCAA Division levels. Even fewer have done so at one institution.
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Bearcats host annual golf tournament fundraiser
The Binghamton Bearcats Athletic Association (BBAA) hosted its 28th annual Matthews Auto Bearcats Golf Classic at the Links at Hiawatha Landing on Thursday. The goal of the event was to raise money for the general scholarship fund and 220 golfers took part in the event. The $50,000 raised was the largest single-year total in the history of the tournament.
The support was just as solid in terms of corporate partners, with over 50 organizations sponsoring the event. In addition to Matthews Auto as the title sponsor, other major sponsors included Newman Development; Binghamton University Dining Services; Visions Federal Credit Union; Hinman, Howard & Kattell and ADPRO Sports.
“The Matthews Auto Bearcats Golf Classic was once again a very successful event thanks to the numerous sponsors and participants,” said Senior Associate Athletic Director Dennis Kalina. “We are extremely fortunate and grateful for the generous community who support the 450 Bearcat student-athletes.”
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Women’s lacrosse adds local talent to coaching staff
The Binghamton women’s lacrosse team welcomes home former Division I lacrosse player Sierra McIver to its Coaching Staff for the 2017-18 season. McIver joins head coach Stephanie Allen as an Assistant Coach after a standout career at UAlbany.
“We are very excited to have Sierra join the Binghamton Women’s Lacrosse staff,” Allen said. “Coming off a tremendous senior season and a highlight filled four year career at UAlbany, Sierra will undoubtedly bring competitiveness and energy to our program. Sierra is very familiar with our team and the America East, so we look forward to getting to work with our defenders knowing what it takes to compete within our conference.”
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Men’s basketball books summer Canadian tour
Binghamton men’s basketball will take advantage of a four-game, six-day swing through Ontario, Canada in August, to get a jump on the 2017-18 season.
Sixth-year head coach Tommy Dempsey and his Bearcats will depart on August 8 and play four-games-in-five-days in St. Catharines and Toronto. Binghamton will face Brock University in St. Catharines on August 9 to open the trip. One night later, BU will stay in town and play Laurier University at Brock’s Bob Davis Gymnasium. After a day of travel to Toronto, the Bearcats will face Ryerson University on August 12 and then close with a neutral game against McMaster University on August 13.
“We are really excited to get back onto the court together this summer,” Dempsey said. “Although we are returning a veteran group we do have some important additions to the roster and those guys will get an opportunity to mesh with our returning core, which gives us a nice head start to next season. We also thought it was important to get J.C. (Show) back into game action after missing so much time last season.”
Men’s basketball headed to Cancun in November
Binghamton men’s basketball will take a trip to Cancun to highlight its 2017-18 first semester schedule. The Bearcats were selected to participate in the Cancun Challenge, which features two U.S.-based games and then two games at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya resort in Cancun, Mexico.
Binghamton will begin the tournament with a game at George Mason on Nov. 16 and then face Evansville on Nov. 18. In Cancun, BU is in the Mayan Division and will open against Montana State on Nov. 21. In the team’s final game, Binghamton will face either Cal State Northridge or Southeast Missouri State on Nov. 22. All games will be against first-time opponents for head coach Tommy Dempsey’s program.
Other teams competing in Cancun are Fresno State and Louisiana Tech.
Former men’s tennis standout dies in NYC accident
Former Binghamton men’s tennis standout Dan Hanegby died Monday in a traffic accident in Manhattan. Hanegby, who starred at Binghamton from 2003-05, was biking to work when he was struck by a bus in the Chelsea neighborhood. The 36-year-old investment banker is survived by his wife and two young children.
Hanegby was a vibrant and high-achieving young man who had a profound affect on those who knew him, especially his Binghamton teammates and friends, who remained close to him in the years following graduation. Former Bearcats Hall of Fame coach Michael Starke, who recruited Hanegby from Herzliya, Israel, offered this reflection.
“Dan came to Binghamton as a 23-year-old freshman with three years of military service in the Israeli special forces,” Starke said. “He arrived a man, not a boy. Dan hit the ground running, excelling on the tennis court, in the classroom, and connecting with people everywhere he went. Dan was the consummate leader, winner, and a soulmate to all his teammates. He embodied team spirit and embraced Bearcat pride. Simply put, Dan was the best player to ever play for me. This tragic life-ending event is one that deeply affects our entire Binghamton University tennis family, and one that will take some time to heal. On a personal note, words cannot express how much Dan met to me. He was an amazing person.”
Before transferring to Brown, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in economics in 2007, Hanegby competed as a Bearcat for two seasons. In 2003-04, he went 31-7 in singles and led BU to an America East Conference title and NCAA tournament berth. He was named the Most Outstanding Player at the conference championship. One year later as team captain, Hanegby went 30-8 overall and again led the Bearcats (21-6) to an America East crown and trip to the NCAA tournament. He repeated as conference Player of the Year and became the first Binghamton tennis player to achieve a Division I national ranking (No. 103). Hanegby and teammate Brian O’Connor won 18 doubles matches and reached the ITA Regional Round of 16.
In two years playing No. 1 singles, Hanegby went 40-9 in dual matches.